


Caught By Surprise

by Scutter



Series: A Most Unexpected Man [5]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alpha/Omega, Knotting, M/M, Omega Verse, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-05
Updated: 2013-10-12
Packaged: 2017-12-28 11:47:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/991664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scutter/pseuds/Scutter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sidebar story to the 'Unexpected Man' series. Kaidan goes through his second heat. But it's nothing like he expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Kaidan stalked into the apartment he shared with Shepard and flung his bag down a little harder than strictly necessary. 

“Fucking assholes. I almost think that them deciding to kick us both out of the Alliance with a dishonorable discharge would be better than this.”

“Whoa, steady on.” Shepard slid his arms around his lover, and briefly considered biting his neck before deciding against it. It was a frighteningly effective way of getting Kaidan to calm down, especially since they’d realised that they were bonding, but using it too often felt a lot like manipulation, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. “This way, we’re still in with a fighting chance. As is every other omega out there. And even if we don’t like this, you must have expected it. We’re both too high profile for them to reprimand us openly, but to just turn a blind eye to what we’re doing opens the door for every other omega in the Alliance to follow suit. I know you’d love that, and so would I, but they’re just not going to pull that radical of a move.”

“Fuck…” Kaidan allowed himself to be held, breathing slowly and deeply, and some of the tension in his muscles eased off. “I just… They’re supposed to be the pride of humanity, the ones who send us forward into the great unknown. And the best they can do now is a grand cop out of a ‘we’ll see how things go’.”

Shepard hummed an agreement, no happier about the way the meeting had gone than Kaidan was, but after negotiating a peace agreement between the turians and the krogan, he was far more prepared to take the patient, wait-it-out route. 

And, he supposed, the alphas, at least, hadn’t already been sold out by Alliance brass.

About two months ago, in the midst of the Great Suppressant Deficiency, when omegas the world over had been going into heat in droves, Shepard had stood up on global television and announced that he was in a long running and very intimate relationship with Kaidan. An alpha and an omega, in a world where that was the greatest sexual taboo in existence, and both of them high ranking soldiers in the Alliance. Not a great career move…

It had taken the Alliance about thirty seconds to discover the news feed, but, since they were busy putting out dozens of other fires from the current crisis, and the ongoing need to rebuild Earth, it had taken them another four weeks until they’d gotten around to hauling Shepard and Kaidan in to explain their actions.

And, after the first meeting, in which even Hackett had been outraged by the very public and very explicit nature of their announcement, Shepard could only be grateful that they hadn’t heard about the ‘mating clinic’ he’d been running with Chakwas behind their backs. That, he was certain, would have gotten him court marshaled and kicked out of the Alliance for good.

Two weeks on, and the meetings were ongoing. The thing that had saved both their hides, aside from their public status as war heroes, was the fact that the whole of human society was undergoing a shift in values. Dozens, if not hundreds of alpha/omega couples were coming out, publicly declaring their relationships, and while there was strong public objection to the move, there was also growing support for it.

Which was, ironically, what had Kaidan so upset. The Alliance had decided not to do anything yet, not to reprimand them, not to discharge them, but not to just sweep it under the rug, either. They were going to wait and see how the dust settled, and take their cue from widespread public opinion. 

What they should have been doing was making a stand, one way or another. Shepard would be hugely disappointed if they decided to stand in the way of the alpha/omega movement, but at least they would be doing so in the name of good morals and a clear objective. This dilly-dallying was embarrassing, a dereliction of duty and a grand announcement that the Alliance didn’t have the balls to choose its own path.

One thing to be grateful for, at least, was that they hadn’t split Kaidan and Shepard up. And with Kaidan’s next heat due in just two more weeks, that would have been a complete and utter disaster. Without Shepard to mate with him, Kaidan would have been consigned to twelve hours of complete agony. 

Not that Shepard wasn’t nervous about the impending heat. While Kaidan was calm and relaxed about it, Shepard was worrying about how to protect his omega, how to make sure they picked up on the pheromones soon enough so that Kaidan wasn’t caught in the open with a host of randy alphas sniffing at him, and how to make sure Kaidan didn’t have to suffer through the heat-pain for even a few minutes. The first time around had been less than smooth, and now that they were bonded, Shepard imagined that having to watch Kaidan go through that again would be an even worse hell than it had been before.

Little was known about the alpha/omega bonding process, but they’d figured out by now that it was both powerful and permanent. Shepard had little to no interest in other omegas, even if they were in the midst of their heat, and Kaidan seemed to bring out an almost irrational protectiveness in him, particularly during sex, but also in any situation he deemed to be a threat to his lover. Today, he’d found himself on his feet, standing between Hackett and Kaidan when Hackett had dared to ask him if he’d stopped taking his suppressants deliberately, back on Mavigon. The details of that illicit interlude were finally coming out, and Hackett had been shocked at his open hostility, ordering him to stand down, and then even more disconcerted when he had refused. In the end, Kaidan had stood, rested his chin on Shepard’s shoulder and his hand on his waist, and calmly suggested that he take a seat. 

He didn’t know what the omega version of the bonding psychology was, didn’t know whether Kaidan felt any particular possessiveness towards him. He wouldn’t allow Shepard to mate with another omega, but then, what self-respecting lover would? He responded to Shepard’s displays of dominance, submitting willingly and totally… but a lingering question in Shepard’s mind was what would happen if he went into heat and another alpha tried to mate with him. Would Kaidan go along with it? Would he resist? Or was there some chemical alteration in him that would prevent him attracting other alphas, similar to Shepard’s lack of interest in other omegas?

Frustratingly, they were never likely to get any answers to those questions. After this heat, Kaidan would be back on suppressants and would likely never go through another one. And there was no way in hell Shepard was letting any other alpha near him this time around.

With a kiss to his neck, he released Kaidan and went to prepare dinner. It had been a long day, and despite the sort-of-good result, he still felt a lingering tension that he couldn’t seem to shift. His neck was tense, his shoulders, and he was strangely hungry. Restless, but not inclined to leave the apartment. 

He shook his head, dismissing the out-of-character feelings. It was likely just stress, and it would clear up in a day or two.

 

Kaidan was in a surprisingly good mood, as their evening meal wrapped up. The day had been trying, the meeting with the Alliance disappointing, bordering on maddening, but within half an hour of getting home, he’d been feeling surprisingly up beat about the whole thing. Shepard was right, they were still in with a fighting chance, and they were still together. Though he didn’t like to think what would happen if the Alliance tried to split them up. Not that he was worried about being without Shepard. Rather, he was worried about what Shepard would do to the Alliance. There was no way in hell either of them were going to part ways now, and he found himself contemplating his up-coming trip to Arcturus in a new light. When he’d been told he was going, he’d been excited, eager to see the new construction, the signs that humanity was fighting back from its very near defeat at the hands of the reapers. Now, though, it seemed like a dreadful burden, so much time so far away from Shepard. He wondered if there was a way to get out of the trip, or maybe to pull a few strings and get Shepard clearance to come with him. 

He cleaned up the kitchen quickly, then headed into the living room where Shepard was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, contemplating a data pad with the intense focus he had for all his work, and he felt a wave of affection for the man. He looked so… domestic, sitting there with bare feet in old jeans, his boots discarded beneath the coffee table, a blanket flung over the back of the sofa for chilly evenings. God, he loved that man.

And so he wandered over, curled up next to him and leaned on his shoulder. Slowly reached out and took the data pad out of his hand and set it on the coffee table, and Shepard knew him well enough to know what was coming next. He pulled Kaidan into his lap, returning his open-mouthed kiss eagerly. 

“You okay?” Shepard asked, and Kaidan nodded. 

“Fine. You?”

“I’d be happy to go a couple of rounds with the Alliance in a boxing ring. But aside from that, it’s all good.”

“Mm hmm.” Kaidan slid his hand down, massaging Shepard through his pants as he kissed him again, and felt him grow harder almost immediately. He never got over how big Shepard was, barely able to wrap his hand around the full girth of him, and his ass was already damp and slick, ready to receive that hot length. 

But he also didn’t want it to be over too quickly, inclined to take the time for a long, slow exploration tonight, and he climbed to his feet, tugging Shepard up and leading him towards the bedroom.

By the time they reached the bed, they were both naked, their clothes leaving a seductive trail across the floor. Kaidan pressed Shepard down onto the bed, immediately gripping his hard cock and fitting as much of it as he could into his mouth. He’d only done this a handful of times, Shepard’s girth making it difficult, and there was always the lingering concern that he mustn’t make Shepard come this way. But he knew his partner loved it all the same, the undivided attention just as much as the physical sensations, and he licked and sucked the full length of him in seductive stages, while he gently massaged his balls, listening to Shepard moan and litter the air with words of encouragement and appreciation. And then Kaidan reached around to finger himself as well, his ass throbbing with need for something hard inside it.

“Kaidan, stop!” He pulled away instantly at Shepard’s protest, his face heating with concern as he saw Shepard’s entire body tense up, his teeth gritted, and he realised he’d taken it too far this time. Without a thought, he swung his leg over Shepard’s thighs and slid himself down over his cock, wincing as his body adjusted to the size of him a little too slowly. A string of curses came out of Shepard’s mouth as his orgasm shot out of him, and Kaidan pressed himself down harder, making sure his body would be there to accept Shepard’s knot, to provide the tightness he needed to prevent the knot from swelling too much and causing him significant pain.

The knot swelled inside him, and then it was Kaidan’s turn to curse, as the pressure and size of it made him come immediately. So much for a long slow love-making session… He rocked against Shepard’s groin, feeling the knot shift and slide inside him, and then he was coming again, feeling Shepard’s hands steadying him as he ejaculated all over Shepard’s stomach.

Sated and momentarily exhausted, he slumped over, Shepard catching him and guiding him down so they were lying face to face, Kaidan’s leg hooked over Shepard’s waist and Shepard’s knot lodged tightly up his ass.

“Sorry. Shit, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

It was almost amusing, the concern in Shepard’s voice, and Kaidan chuckled. “It’s fine, Shepard. My body’s built for this, remember?”

“That was way too fast,” Shepard insisted, trying to lie still so as not to put any more pressure on Kaidan’s body. But Kaidan was having none of it, squirming against him, his own cock hard again, the knot making him harder by the second, and then he came again, loving the burst of wet heat inside himself and between their bodies. 

“Oh fuck… that was good.”

And that, at least, got a brief chuckle from his lover. “Are you quite finished?” he asked, affection thick in his voice, and Kaidan had to pause and think about that for a moment. 

“No,” he declared sleepily. “You’re going to make me come again in a few minutes.”

“Really?” There was no protest in his voice, but there was a hint of disbelief. Normally, two climaxes were enough for Kaidan, though the omega body was designed for multiple orgasms and omegas in their twenties had been known to go five or six at a clip.

“Yes, really.” He didn’t quite know what the insistent urge to come again was about, but since they were still discovering things about themselves and each other, he decided there was nothing too alarming about a sudden bout of horniness, and figured he would just go with it and see where it took them.

“Seriously, Kaidan, did I hurt you?”

Kaidan sighed. This was one of the things Shepard was never willing to let go of, seeming unnecessarily traumatised by the idea that he had hurt him, or pushed him too hard, or asked for too much. And lying about his level of comfort had never been an option, their relationship built on trust, even when it made them both uncomfortable. “Yeah, okay, that was a bit too fast,” he admitted, pulling back a little so he could look Shepard in the eye. “It stung for a minute. But it was more like discomfort than pain, and it feels fine now.” He didn’t bother pointing out that if he hadn’t gotten Shepard inside himself so quickly, then Shepard would have been in significant pain, instead. That argument had never gotten him anywhere, Shepard insisting, with an irrational stubbornness, that it was better he be hurt than Kaidan. Kaidan had fought the sentiment for a while, and then finally given up, putting it down to the inherent protective tendencies of an alpha, and now he used other methods to dodge the overzealous level of care Shepard occasionally tried to inflict upon him.

They lay in comfortable silence for a while, Kaidan aware of his slowly returning erection and the pleasurable throbbing in his ass, the mood between them relaxed and amicable. Some minutes later, Shepard moved his hips in a slow roll, anticipating Kaidan’s rising desire, and without a word, he slid a hand around his waist and thrust a few times, until Kaidan tensed and groaned and came again, his wetness slick between them.

“Okay?”

His fourth orgasm had left him sleepy and sated, and Kaidan hummed a vague agreement. Not long afterwards, Shepard’s knot deflated and he pulled out in a long, easy slide, reaching for a handful of tissues to clean them both up a little. Then he tucked Kaidan under his shoulder, a warm cocoon beneath the blankets, and Kaidan let himself drift off into a soothing, secure slumber.


	2. Chapter 2

Kaidan woke slowly in the morning, Shepard’s arms around him a comforting reminder of the love-making they had shared only hours ago, and he was a little surprised to feel his erection swell again, a flush of wetness in his ass. And then he thought, what the heck. It was a Saturday, neither of them needed to be anywhere important, and spending the next hour or two rediscovering Shepard’s body sounded like the best idea in the world. He rolled over and nuzzled against Shepard’s chin, rewarded when he smiled and pulled Kaidan closer. A few more shuffles, and Kaidan was rubbing his modest erection against Shepard’s much larger one, feeling it begin to swell against his thigh.

“Mmm…” Shepard came awake slowly, his hips already thrusting in a slow rhythm against Kaidan’s, and Kaidan parted his legs, hooking one up and over Shepard’s hip. Though barely awake, it took Shepard only a moment to take advantage of the position, and he tilted his hips back and up, pressing his growing erection into Kaidan’s ass. He was still loose from their last session, and Shepard slid inside him easily. 

Kaidan felt an easing of a tension he didn’t know he’d been carrying almost immediately. He felt a rippling sensation inside himself, and rocked his hips forward, driving Shepard deeper. The man was still partly asleep, and he responded slowly, not quite sure what was happening yet, whether this was dream or reality, and given the consequences of a wet dream if he wasn’t actually inside his lover, Kaidan understood his reluctance to give in to lust with abandon.

“Shepard?” He kissed him, hands rediscovering jaw and ear and throat, then lower, to stroke his nipple, thrumming back and forth over the bud. “Come on, lover, wake up.”

“Mmm… yeah…” Shepard flexed his hips, arms coming around Kaidan. One hand stole downwards to stroke him as his hips picked up the rhythm. His eyes were open now, brilliant blue fading out as lines of gold threaded through them. That was becoming more common, one or both of them showing signs of the bonding during sex, their eyes turning golden, their skin giving off a heady scent designed to drive their partner wild. And it worked, Kaidan remembered, as Shepard lowered his head to breath in the scent at Kaidan’s neck. His grip tightened, his thrusts still slow and measured, but firmer, deeper, and Kaidan let himself relax, riding the pleasure of Shepard’s growing urgency. 

An open mouth against his neck had him opening his eyes again, tilting his head back to allow Shepard greater access, and then a nibble, drawing a grin and a throb in his groin from Kaidan. He had the sudden urge to feel Shepard’s teeth in the back of his neck, and made a mental note to get him to take him from behind, the next time they did this. 

This time, the rise to climax was slow and lazy, Shepard holding back several times, letting them both back away from the peak, then renewing his thrusts, Kaidan giving wordless approval of the tactic through lusty moans and fingernails in Shepard’s shoulders. And then finally Shepard was tensing, spurting hot fluid into Kaidan’s belly, while Kaidan spilled his pleasure over bed sheets and golden skin.

 

Shepard blinked sleepily, almost able to doze off again as he succumbed to the comforting pressure of Kaidan’s body around his knot. Overcome with a sudden need to protect and comfort his omega, he nuzzled Kaidan’s lips with his own, small, almost chaste kisses, combined with soothing strokes over his shoulders and down his back. “Morning,” he greeted finally, earning a wry chuckle from Kaidan. 

“Morning.” He bucked his hips gently against Shepard’s, shifting the knot inside himself, and Shepard felt his erection growing firmer against his stomach. Just like last night, one or two orgasms were not going to be enough for Kaidan today, and Shepard was happy to oblige. A third, and then a fourth had Kaidan squirming and moaning, clinging to Shepard’s shoulders, his leg tight around his waist, and then he finally lay back, relaxed and sated.

The sun was rising, spilling golden rays through a slight gap in the curtains, and Shepard glanced at the clock. 8:12. He sighed deeply, happily. Despite the rough day they’d both endured the day before, today was looking to be free and full of promise. Breakfast, he thought, and then maybe another hour in bed. 

“I’m hungry,” Kaidan said, right on cue, and it was only the fact that his knot was lodged tightly inside his lover that stopped Shepard from leaping out of bed to make him breakfast.

“I’ll make you something in a minute. Eggs. Bacon. Coffee.”

“Mmm… coffee would be great. And toast. Some fried tomato.”

“Anything you like.”

“Do we have anything on today?” Kaidan asked, rocking his hips again. This was perfect, Shepard thought, the day to themselves, food and sex the only priorities.

“Nothing that can’t wait til Monday,” Shepard told him, steadying his hips as Kaidan rocked himself to another climax. It might even be worth getting a couple of towels, he thought absently, eager to make love again after they ate. If they were going to indulge a little, they would be more comfortable with a dry bed afterwards.

Ten minutes later, putting on a pair of sweatpants seemed an unreasonable inconvenience. And seeing Kaidan put some on particularly irked him. The fabric covered far too much skin, and he resolved to get breakfast over with quickly, just so that he could peel the pants off again, exploring the skin with his mouth as he went.

In the kitchen, he set the coffee machine brewing, put oil in the frying pan, got out plates and cutlery, always aware of Kaidan’s warm presence lingering nearby. He loitered in the kitchen, rather that sitting at the table to wait, occasionally getting in Shepard’s way, but that was a small price to pay for the intimate convenience of being able to touch him, kiss him as he reached for the salt, the pleasure of groping his ass as he fetched coffee mugs from the hooks on the wall. And then he very nearly burnt the bacon as he was distracted by the urgent need to kiss Kaidan senseless, pressing his body up against the counter, knee between his legs, erection pressed into his hip, until the smell of burning fat and Kaidan’s dry chuckle dragged him back to the stove to rescue the food.

He ended up feeding Kaidan from his fork, his lover sitting in his lap for the meal, hands wandering up his thighs and over toned abs, the taste of coffee thick on his tongue, and then the dishes were abandoned as he led Kaidan back to bed, peeling the pants off and fulfilling his promise to himself to taste the skin beneath the fabric, Kaidan standing, panting, beside the bed while Shepard teased the backs of his knees with his tongue while his fingers teased his puckered entrance, his alpha ego reveling in the feel of slick moisture in his passage, in the knowledge that he was making his lover crazy for him.

“Oh fuck… Shepard… I want you to fuck me,” Kaidan demanded at last, and Shepard was only too eager to comply. Kaidan eased himself down onto the bed, face down, and Shepard couldn’t help himself from leaning on Kaidan as he entered that hot, tight passage, pressing him into the bed with a mild dominance that just dared him to resist.

Kaidan didn’t, just squirmed, trying to get his cock further inside him, his breath coming with tiny mewling sounds that made Shepard’s cock swell even harder. And then the words that almost had him coming on the spot…

“Bite me.” Kaidan exposed his neck, fingers digging into the sheets, and Shepard leaned down and sank his teeth into his neck, feeling Kaidan go utterly limp beneath him. 

He’d been worried, the first time he’d bitten him really hard during sex, and had felt that utter and complete surrender in the body beneath him. It had felt too much like Kaidan had given up, had surrendered something that shouldn’t be surrendered, but later, Kaidan had explained that what he’d felt was a complete security in the bite, the knowledge that everything in the world was as it should be, that he could trust Shepard to take care of him and see to any of his needs with absolute confidence. It was liberating, he’d said, and Shepard had accepted the explanation without really understanding it, the same way that Kaidan accepted things about him as an alpha, when Shepard knew that he hadn’t really grasped the concept he was trying to get across.

He felt a rippling sensation through Kaidan’s passage, a rhythmic squeezing that he was sure Kaidan wasn’t doing on purpose, but the pleasure and the urgency of being inside he lover was far more important than wondering over the details of their love-making. He thrust harder, growling through the bite, a warning to Kaidan that he was not to be denied, and then he was coming, eyes rolling back in his head as he felt the spasms through his own body, deeper and more powerful than usual, making his heart skip a beat and his nerves tingle from his head all the way to his toes. And then he thrust a few more times, pressing his growing knot into Kaidan’s prostate, forcing him to climax, needing to feel his omega come, needing to know that he was imprinted on his mind and body so that no one could ever mistake their union.

 

 

Two hours later, Kaidan surfaced after the fifth orgasm of this particular knotting, and realised that he was thirsty. He blearily lifted his head and decided that the bathroom was too far away to bother with. “Shepard?” 

“Hm?”

“Do we have any water?” It was a stupid question. Of course they had water. The tap was only a few metres away, and Kaidan briefly wondered what kind of answer he was expecting. Getting out of bed was way too much effort, and he vaguely hoped that Shepard had more energy than him. 

“Yeah,” came the mildly perplexed reply, and then Shepard was easing himself out of Kaidan’s passage, his knot not quite deflated, but he was small enough to slide out without causing him any undue discomfort. They had put together a box of supplies in anticipation of Kaidan’s next heat, stowing it in the closet for easy access, and Shepard retrieved it now. It contained bottles of water, protein bars, packets of nuts and biscuits and a few chocolate bars. They had already snagged the stack of towels that had been put on top of the box, using them to keep the bed dry as they indulged in repeated bouts of sex, and Kaidan supposed that they could always restock the box before his heat hit. He just couldn’t face the thought of getting out of bed right now, and gratefully accepted the bottle of water that Shepard brought him, barely bothering to roll over in bed to drink it.

“Hungry?” Shepard asked, and Kaidan shook his head. Shepard chose a packet of biscuits and ripped it open, wandering back to the bed as he munched on his snack. 

“That’s supposed to be for my heat,” Kaidan pointed out, aware of the hypocrisy of his complaint, given the water in his hand, and Shepard paused mid-chew. 

“I’ll restock it later,” he promised, sounding contrite, and Kaidan felt a flash of guilt for having complained about the use of the food. 

“Doesn’t matter,” he said, snuggling closer to Shepard as he sat on the edge of the bed. “If it comes in handy now, it’s all good.”

Shepard smiled at him, and fucking hell, the man was handsome. Strong and tender and sexy as sin. Kaidan ran a hand up his chest, feeling the firm muscles, aware that his cock was swelling again as he saw the vivid blue of Shepard’s eyes flash back to gold again. His hand came up and stroked Kaidan’s face, his other hand shoving another biscuit into his mouth. They just stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment, and Kaidan had the strange thought that he could see more of Shepard’s soul now that his eyes had changed than he could when they were blue. There were no barriers here, in this quiet space of lust and devotion and heat, no pretences, their desire for each other laid bare, raw and undeniable. 

“I love you,” he said quietly, and there was that smile again. A hand stroking his hair, his face. 

“Love you too,” Shepard said after swallowing his mouthful. “I always will.”

The need for sex was still there, but less urgent now. Instead, it was replaced by a need to simply be near Shepard, to see that tender smile, to know that he wanted to be here, and he wasn’t going anywhere. Kaidan felt almost sleepy, satisfied to take a nap so long as Shepard was lying beside him, and he shifted over in bed, tugging Shepard to join him under the covers, leaning back against the head board. He rested his head against Shepard’s thigh, humming appreciatively as Shepard began to stroke his hair, and unbidden, Kaidan’s hand stole downwards to gently rub his own belly. 

“Okay?” Shepard checked in immediately, and Kaidan nodded. 

“Yeah.” Something was going on here, something soft and warm and significant… but as the stroking against his hair resumed, Kaidan was too tired to think about it, closing his eyes and letting himself drift off to sleep, secure in the knowledge that Shepard would wake him if anything important happened.


	3. Chapter 3

“Shepard,” Kaidan said, when the clock was ticking past 4 pm, and they were both still lying naked in bed, one of the towels Shepard had appropriated beneath them soaking up the latest round of fluids, while several more lay soiled on the floor. “Do you realise that we’ve done absolutely nothing today but eat and have sex?”

“We should do this more often,” Shepard replied. And more right now, too, he amended mentally, already feeling his cock swell again. The idea of getting out of bed, of giving up the feel of Kaidan’s warm skin against his own was unthinkable. But what Kaidan said next knocked the wind out of him.

“You do realise I’m in heat.”

Shepard sat up in alarm. “What?”

Kaidan shrugged, looking far too relaxed for Shepard’s liking. Heat? Heat meant responsibility, and the need to protect his omega from wandering alphas, and the need to provide food and water and to guard against his own overly possessive tendencies and to make sure Kaidan didn’t feel even a moment of the heat-pain that had hit him so hard last time around-

“Think about it,” Kaidan interrupted his wandering thoughts. “Usually I can’t handle being knotted more than twice in a row, maybe three times at the most. But I’ve had you at least ten times today, maybe more. And how would you feel about getting up and, say, going to the store to buy some milk right now?”

“What?” Shepard said again, not keeping up at all. “You want milk?”

“No,” Kaidan said patiently. “But if I did, would you be able to leave the apartment to get it?”

“Sure,” Shepard replied. “Of course.”

“Go on, then,” Kaidan said, and Shepard looked at him like he was insane. 

“What?”

“Get out of bed and get dressed. I need you to go to the store,” Kaidan told him. 

Shepard rubbed his face. “This can’t be your heat. It’s nothing like it was last time. Last time I was all possessive and dominant, and you were way more desperate for sex than you have been today. Sorry, that sounded kind of offensive. I didn’t mean it like that, I just meant-“

“It’s okay, I know what you meant. And yeah, I was. Totally desperate for it. But your eyes have been golden for most of the day-“

“That doesn’t mean anything.” That, at least, was true. Now that they were bonded, any situation that made Shepard feel either threatened or passionate was likely to get a flare of gold. 

“And there’s the lingering issue that I don’t think either of us is actually capable of getting out of bed at the moment.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Shepard protested again. “Just because we want to keep having sex doesn’t mean we’re not able to stop.”

“So, once again, get out of bed.”

“Why?”

“Go to the kitchen and get me some fruit.” It was said deliberately mildly, a suggestion, not a demand.

“You want food, there’s food in the box.”

“Shall I help myself, then?” Kaidan asked, knowing that his next move would prove the situation one way or another. If he was in heat, there was no way Shepard would allow him to get up and walk away…

Shepard chuckled. “Go on, then.”

But even as he shoved the covers back, Kaidan felt a powerful urge to curl up closer to Shepard, kiss him senseless and beg him to shove his cock up inside him all over again. He was in heat, he was absolutely certain of it. But Shepard needed convincing…

He got up and went to the box of food. Rummaged through it. Decided he didn’t like anything that was inside. “I’m going to the kitchen,” he announced, and headed for the door. And, to his astonishment, Shepard raised an eyebrow at him and let him go.

Holy fuck, Kaidan thought, once he was out in the hallway. His heart rate had just sped up, the need to go back to Shepard both urgent and compelling, but this was a whole new puzzle, perplexing, and more than a little disturbing. An alpha in heat had just let his bonded omega walk away from him…

He kept going towards the kitchen, forcing himself to put one foot in front of the other-

“Where are you going?”

Arms around his waist, the question in his ear was relaxed, amused, as if humoring a child playing a trick on an adult, and Kaidan couldn’t help the joyful grin that plastered itself to his face. “I’m going to the kitchen to get some food,” he said, and was reprimanded for the disobedience with a firm nip to his shoulder. 

“If you need food, I’ll get it for you,” Shepard reminded him amicably, and steered them both into the kitchen, arms still firmly around Kaidan. “Fruit? Chocolate? Ooh, biscuits.” They had eaten all the biscuits in the box, and Shepard grabbed a variety of items, then he was steering them back towards the bedroom, his erection throbbing against Kaidan’s ass, and by the time they got back to the bed, they were both desperate for each other, food tossed forgotten to the floor as Kaidan knelt on the bed, knees spread, and Shepard slid into him, calloused hands on his hips as he thrust home again and again, until they were both coming and Shepard’s knot was swelling inside Kaidan again, making them both feel whole and complete and sated.

They were lying on their sides, Shepard tucked up behind Kaidan, when he spoke again, a wry question brushing heated air across damp skin. “I really just asked you where you were going, didn’t I?”

Kaidan chuckled. “Yes, you did.” 

“Fuck.”

“So now do you believe me?”

“Shit. And we’re back in bed again. Yeah, okay, so you’re in heat. We both are. But it’s still really different from last time. Why is it so different?”

Kaidan shrugged. “I haven’t a clue.” There was a pause. “I can’t fucking believe you let me leave the room,” he complained, still mildly offended by the sheer neglect of the action. 

“I knew you wouldn’t go far,” Shepard said. 

“That’s hardly the point.”

“But that _is_ my point,” Shepard insisted. “Last time, I pinned you to the floor and bit you until you bled for walking across the room. This time, I let you get almost as far as the kitchen. Why?”

Kaidan made a humming sound, like he was thinking about the question… but then he shifted his hips, pressing back against Shepard. “Make me come again,” he murmured, a seductive invitation, and Shepard was paying more attention this time to the rush of desire to satisfy his omega. He pressed his knot deeper, hard against Kaidan’s prostate and felt a surge of pride as he came with a husky moan. “Mmm… fuck, that’s good…”

Shepard smiled into his lover’s shoulder, pressing a kiss there, but then resumed their conversation. “Why would I let you leave the room?”

“You said you knew I wouldn’t go far,” Kaidan said, repeating what Shepard had said only moments ago. “How did you know that?”

“Would you have gone far? Out of the apartment?”

“No.”

“See.”

Kaidan sighed. “That’s just circular logic. You knew I wouldn’t go far because I didn’t want to go far.”

Shepard forced his brain to think that through, trying to ignore the rhythmic pulsing sensations around his cock. “Have you had any pain today?” he asked out of the blue, suddenly tying the rippling sensation he was feeling to the contractions of the omega’s reproductive tract that caused the heat-pain.

“No.”

“But we haven’t been having sex nearly as often as we did the first time.”

The knot receded then, both of them wincing uncomfortably at the loss of contact, and Shepard reluctantly pulled out. Kaidan turned over and rested his head on Shepard’s shoulder. 

“Maybe this is all to do with the bonding,” Kaidan suggested. “The biggest fear alphas have during a mating as that their omega will try to leave. Or that they’ll lose them somehow, to another alpha, maybe. And the omega’s body is desperately trying to fall pregnant, which, I suppose, is an important evolutionary step, given that we’re only fertile once a year. But if we’re bonded, then neither of those motivations carries any weight. You know I’m not going anywhere, so you don’t need to get as possessive, we’re somewhere familiar and secure, where as before we were in an abandoned base with Garrus, Liara and James breathing down our necks, and your pheromones are absolutely everywhere, so my body knows it’s going to get mated and it doesn’t need to panic about attracting every alpha for miles around. That’s all speculation, of course, but it fits the pattern we’ve seen so far.”

Shepard had to agree. “How did we get so far from our natural, biological rhythms?” he asked absently, running a hand down to stroke Kaidan’s ass. “You’d have thought that after a couple of thousand years of this, we’d at least have documented the whole process.”

“Maybe we did,” Kaidan pointed out. “There are numerous records of ruling alphas in medieval history. Most of them had omega slaves, and it’s hard to believe there weren’t a few couples who actually cared about each other. So someone, somewhere, must have written about the alpha-omega bond. It’s just that we shy away from that so much now that it’s all written off as slavery and a rosy picture of a dreadful situation, as painted by the oppressors.”

Without really thinking about it, Shepard was massaging Kaidan’s ass, pulling his cheeks apart and pressing a finger into his warm passage. And then he tugged the man higher, tucked his leg over his hip again and angled his hips to position his cock at his entrance. He was inside him before he’d even realised what he was doing, and an uncharacteristic flush of guilt shot through him. “Shit… sorry…” He went to pull out, but Kaidan tightened his leg around his waist.

“Wasn’t exactly protesting there,” he said with a laugh, pressing his renewed erection into Shepard’s stomach.

“But I didn’t even think about what I was doing, or whether you wanted me to be doing it-“

“We’re in heat,” Kaidan pointed out, closing his eyes as he rocked himself on Shepard’s cock. “It goes without saying that I want it.”

Shepard looked almost offended at that, and Kaidan laughed. “Oh, come on. I want it _from you_. And only you, so no one needs to go getting defensive about my virtue.”

Shepard looked grudgingly mollified by the explanation, and to encourage him to get with the program, Kaidan rocked his hips harder against him.

“Have you got some birth control?” Shepard asked, even as he started thrusting, Kaidan arching his back to receive him.

“Yeah. Haven’t taken it yet. Wasn’t expecting this for another two weeks.”

“It’s early.”

“Maybe not. Ah! Shit, yes… The heat’s only roughly once a year, not exactly to the day. Mmm… harder…”

The conversation left off there, both of them far more interested in losing themselves in lust and desire, and it was nearly ten minutes later before Kaidan spoke again.

“You don’t smell as strong as you did last time.”

“I love you,” Shepard said, a somewhat incongruous reply, but it did answer the unspoken question, in a way. The first time they had done this, they’d both uttered words of love and devotion that had been completely meaningless in the cold light of day. Now, despite the ongoing drive of hormones, the words were true. And maybe that was simply the key. The heat had reached its natural fulfillment in a couple who were committed to each other regardless of pheromones and hormones and biological urges.

Kaidan let himself drift off to sleep, pondering the mysteries of the bonding process, totally content in being an omega for the first time in his life.


	4. Chapter 4

Shepard woke slowly, feeling sort of like he had a hangover, but the usual pounding headache was strangely absent. His body ached, his eyes felt like sandpaper, and he was ravenously hungry.

And his dick was sore.

He tried to shift and realised that his arm was numb, Kaidan asleep on top of it, and he extracted it blearily, relieved when Kaidan didn’t wake. What the hell had happened?

And what was that lump he was lying on? 

He shifted around and felt beneath him, discovering a half-wadded-up towel. Why was he sleeping on a-

Oh. Right. Of course. The heat.

There were half a dozen empty water bottles strewn around the room, wrappers from protein bars tossed off the bed, a half-eaten packet of biscuits by the wall and three bananas sitting on the dresser. A rumpled bundle of towels sat on the floor, and the entire room smelled like a brothel.

“Gah…”

He forced himself into a more-or-less standing position and stumbled over to the window, opening it to let the room air. Kaidan stirred and reached for something on the other side of the bed, so Shepard went over and stroked his arm, kissed his shoulder, and he settled again, snuggling into the pillow with a mumble.

The room needed cleaning up, but a shower came first. He headed into the bathroom, emerging five minutes later, significantly cleaner, but also hungrier, and food was the next item on the agenda. Just to appease his urge to tidy, he snagged an armful of towels and dumped them in the washing machine on the way to the kitchen. That would help clear the smell, at least, which was really starting to get on his nerves. Toast, bacon, eggs, fried tomato and some frozen hash browns. Coffee. And it was just about ready to serve when he heard bare feet padding into the room and Kaidan pressed a kiss against his shoulder. He was sleepy and his hair was still mused, looking as fed up with the whole heat thing as Shepard was, and so he simply handed him a plate of food, and they ate in silence at the table, not bothering with conversation until they were on their second cup of coffee.

“You need a shower,” was the first thing out of Shepard’s mouth, and Kaidan grunted, helping himself to another slice of toast. He’d pulled on a pair of sweatpants but was still shirtless… and Shepard, for once, had no interest at all in the sculptured muscles that were on display. Another hour in bed – only to sleep, as compared to this time yesterday – sounded heavenly, but not until he’d changed the sheets and sprayed deodorizer everywhere.

“Shower,” Kaidan muttered, downing the last of his coffee, and then he was gone, leaving his plate and cup on the table, and Shepard cleaned them up without thinking about it. Back to the bedroom and he gathered the sheets, rounded up the stray food wrappers and ferried what was left back to the kitchen, then made the bed up with fresh linens.

Kaidan could be forgiven for an extended shower, he supposed, and it wasn’t until nearly fifteen minutes later that he emerged, clean, if still tired. “It’s Sunday, right?” he asked, and Shepard nodded.

“Yep.”

“Good. I’m going out.” Kaidan pulled on a pair of shoes and headed for the door. It was exactly the same impulse Shepard was having, the need to get outside, to take a walk, breathe some fresh air… and frankly, to get some space from his roommate. More than 12 hours of fucking him senseless had left Shepard with a strong need to just get away from him.

“Where are you going?”

Kaidan froze at Shepard’s question. He half-turned back with a look of disbelief on his face. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

It took Shepard a moment to realise what he’d said, and then he cringed. “Oh, god, no. Not that. Just… Where are you heading to in case I need to reach you for something.”

“Oh.” Kaidan breathed a sigh of relief, and Shepard took no offence to it at all. “The library.”

“’Kay.”

With that, Kaidan was gone, and after he’d finished cleaning up the apartment, Shepard let himself lie down on the bed, dozing for half an hour before his omni-tool beeped.

“Shepard.” It was Hackett, looking pale and wide-eyed, and Shepard was instantly alert, sitting up, the last traces of sleep vanished.

“What is it, sir?”

“We’ve just received some news,” Hackett said roughly. “I’m going to need you to come down to HQ. Immediately.”

He was already on his feet, finding shoes, his keys. “What kind of news?” Whatever it was, it had to be bad to have someone as battle-hardened as Hackett this rattled.

“One of our Captains overheard some civilians talking. Something about a… mating clinic.”

All the blood drained out of Shepard’s face and he felt the room sway. “I see.” The look on Hackett’s face said that he already knew everything he needed to know, so Shepard didn’t bother denying any of it. He didn’t regret anything that he had done for the Alliance omegas at the clinic, but the consequences were bound to be harsh, none the less. Time to face the music. “I’m on my way, sir.”

He ended the call, then found his fingers hovering over the call button on his omni-tool. It was tempting as hell to try and keep Kaidan out of this, to pretend that he hadn’t known anything about it… but the chances of getting away with it were slim – the two of them were bonded. From the Alliance’s perspective, there was little chance that Shepard hadn’t at least told him what was going on, and for a Major to even have knowledge of such a thing and not report it was a criminal offence, never mind if they found out he was actually involved. 

So he called Kaidan and briefed him on the situation, agreeing to meet him at the base in ten minutes. 

And now, of course, it wasn’t just their own hides on the line, but Chakwas as well, along with each and every alpha and omega who had participated, every nurse, every member of the security team. 

Well, Shepard thought with a bitter laugh as he locked the apartment behind him. He’d never been one to do things on a small scale. Time to find out just how big a splash they could make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, that’s the end of this ficlet, and yes, I know I’m leaving you hanging here in a horrible way. I do actually have a few ideas for another ficlet which will resolve this situation, but you’ll have to wait a little while for that one. ;)


End file.
